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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. file — a document
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. file — a tool
  6. last — final
  7. plane — a tool
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — in a race
  10. chest — a box
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. last — finally
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. last — to go on
  16. firm — a company
  17. lean — to bend
  18. chest — of your body
  19. firm — steady
  20. file — a line of people
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. lean — thin
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stand — on your feet

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com